Friday, December 9, 2011

Recall election for ANC4B04 commissioner Doug Smith will be held Feb. 28 at MPD 4D HQ

Did you know that there was a recall effort underway for 4B04 ANC commissioner Doug Smith?

Yeah, I really didn’t either. I first heard about it on November 23, when the DC Board of Elections and Ethics tweeted that recall petitions were being collected. I did a little more research and found that the effort has been underway since at least September (see the hearing transcript at the bottom of this post). The folks who have spearheaded the effort seem to be members of Concerned Citizens of Brightwood East.

This morning, the DCBOEE tweeted:

So there you go. Recall election on February 28.

Doug Smith is a good commissioner who got caught up in a storm, and that storm is called Walmart. I believe that the people who initiated the recall effort were upset that Smith hasn’t publicly come out in opposition of the development. The issue of will-Walmart-be-good-for-us-or-not has divided the neighborhood deeply, and it has put Smith in the difficult position of trying to represent all of his constituents fairly in the midst of the uproar.

But here's the thing: if the planned development at Georgia and Missouri doesn’t happen, it will be because Walmart decided to pull out. And that would be purely Walmart's decision, not based on community opposition, and definitely not on whether an ANC spoke out against it or not.

Smith has done nothing to deserve a recall. If you want to oust a politician, save your energy and work to oust one of the many in this city who actually have done things that warrant a recall.

I, for one, have had just about enough of this anti-Walmart movement. I am upset that a vocal minority could derail a major project in a part of the city desperate for investment. Who are these people? Where do they get their money? Who pays the salaries and the legal bills? I live in the neighborhood and would love to see a Walmart on Georgia Avenue. I consider myself one of the quiet majority.

@The Brightwoodian: Thank you for your response. The purpose of my posting is to express frustration with the anti-Walmart movement in general. It is not specific to the issue of Mr. Smith's recall. Perhaps this was not the proper venue in which to express this frustration.

I understand that Walmart will ultimately make the decision as to whether or not to proceed with the project. I must disagree, however, with your statement that no community group can derail Walmart. Walmart's decision may well be influenced by the continuing burden of having to deal with (what have become) frivolous appeals that, by delaying the project, cost the company money. Walmart may decide that it is not worth its trouble. That would be a real shame.

If you think Walmart would be good for our community you must not really understand economics. Walmart drives small businesses out of business, depresses wages, and creates economic wastelands. It destroys at least as many jobs as it creates, but the jobs it creates offer so little in wages and benefits that workers are almost invariably forced to turn to welfare programs - putting a greater burden on the rest of us. Do you really want that, just for "cheap" prices?

Where is your evidence, Sam J? I see only assertion, which echoes claims made in several anti-Walmart documentaries which themselves depend on vivid examples rather than data. There is good reason to believe that Walmart has blunted the effects of stagnating wages for lower-income residents who shop there: strange that such options should be available to the rural working class but not to the urban poor who must instead deal with Safeway's neglect and a long-abandoned lot (and who abandoned it? not Walmart, but Chevrolet.)

Brightwoodian: I understand your desire not to have this post turn into a referendum on Walmart, but if the recall was motivated by this issue in particular, I for one would like an opportunity and a space to think the issue through with my neighbors. I'll understand if you'd rather not host such a discussion, however.

Just one question: what is Mr. Smith's current position? What efforts has he taken to respond to both the criticisms and support of his constituents?

Unfortunately, that leaves me even more confused. Are you saying that Smith opposes Walmart but couldn't get the message out due to the digital divide, and that the whole recall is just a misunderstanding?

Thanks for your response. Your comments in that post suggest that Smith is little different from his predecessor, however, and that makes it difficult to determine whether he is being unfairly maligned or in fact failing to update his communication strategy in light of new technologies. I tried to call Smith today to solicit his opinions, and his voicemail is full, which is perhaps a bad sign. We'll see if he responds to my text message or email.

Barring some communication from him, it will be hard not to see the charges as fundamentally accurate. I'd much rather a commissioner who will tell me his position, even if it disagrees with my own, than one who silently supports the development of the Curtis Chevrolet lot but won't commit publicly for fear of drawing controversy and scrutiny.

If anyone is still following this, I just want to say that Mr. Smith did return my call, and is available outside the MPD 4th to discuss the recall.

I agree with Brightwoodian that this recall seems unjustified, and indeed seems to be based on a false sense of what an ANC can or should do. The communication issues mentioned by Concerned Citizens of Brightwood East in their articulation of the justification for the recall seems uncharitable, in the sense than ANY commissioner will have the same problem communicating with our neighbors, many of whom are not digitally savvy or mobile enough to attend meetings.

By the way, Mr. Smith suggested that if he survives the recall, he will start a Facebook page and try to develop other methods of digital interaction. What other strategies should he be using?